NUR152 - EBP Research Guide

For your EBP assignment, you will choose a topic, find a good journal article on this topic and then analyze it with your instructor's questions in mind …. (assignment info?) You may already have a topic in mind or you may need some more information before you decide what to focus on. Either way, you will want to do some background research before you decide. It can be tempting to pick a topic right away and put all your focus on finding sources for it. However, taking time to gather background information and explore a few potentional topics can ensure that you choose the best topic for the assignment. You don’t want to end up with:

• a topic that is too broad or too narrow
• a topic that doesn’t have enough sources
• a topic that you aren’t really interested in

Broad v. Narrow Topics

After you’ve done some background reading, you should have a better idea of what you want to explore further. Your topic should be focused enough that you’re not overwhelmed when trying to find sources to support it, but flexible enough that it can be modified depending on the information you find as you continue to research. Here are some questions to ask as you zero in on a focused topic and research question:

• Is there enough published information on this topic? Based on your background research, has this topic been studied, discussed, and written about extensively?  In other words, will you be able to find enough sources for your paper?
• Is this topic too broad ? If your topic sounds something like the “History of Infectious Diseases”, it’s too broad.  You will never be able to thoroughly cover all of the history and issues related to infectious diseases in a 3 page paper.  It is a huge topic with so many complexities that it would be impossible to fully explain and address everything important in a few pages.
• Is this topic too narrow? On the other hand, if your topic is too narrow you may not find enough information to fill 3 pages. This is a great reason to do background research and stay open to adjusting your topic as you learn more about it. 

Check out the Picking Your Topic Is Research video from the NC State University Libraries about the importance of  topic selection in the research process.

Gaining background knowledge is the best way to focus and refine your topic. You’ll also  learn if you really want to write about the topic. You may find that you aren’t really interested in it at all. That is perfectly ok. It is better to figure that out during early on rather than after you have invested a lot of time and energy in the research process.  Read about your topic without worrying about exactly what you want to say in your paper. Instead, pay attention to issues that interest you. Take note of concepts, keywords, people, or events that you might want to research further. Notice what themes are sticking in your mind the most; one of those aspects could become the issue you focus on in your paper.  If you are genuinely interested in your topic, your research and writing will reflect that.